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LOS ANGELES – John Wall had a game-high 28 points as the Houston Rockets won their second straight game over the Sacramento Kings 102-94, despite playing without star James Harden.
Eric Gordon replaced Harden and scored 21 points, while Christian Wood finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets, who also beat the Kings 122-119 on New Year’s Eve.
Harden had 33 points in that one but it was a late scratch on Saturday. The disgruntled American, who requested a trade, was left out with a sore ankle, although he has not been placed on the disabled list.
Without Harden, Wall carried the offensive charge for the Rockets. He had missed his first two games of the new season due to Covid-19 restrictions and was out all of last season due to injuries.
Sterling Brown came off the bench to score 11 points in the victory.
The Rockets took their first double-digit lead of the game, 92-81, early in the fourth quarter when David Nwaba and Gordon drained three in a row.
The Kings went 92-83 with just over eight minutes to go, but then cold shots and turnovers meant they missed a basket for five minutes.
De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 23 points, while Buddy Hield contributed 17 points in the loss.
Magic falls anewsg
On the other hand, Darius Bazley scored 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 108-99 road win over the Orlando Magic.
Bazley posted his second double-double of the season after making just one last season for the Thunder, who had six players in double-digit scoring.
George Hill finished with 18 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 16 for the Thunder, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Nikola Vucevic scored a team-high 30 points, while Terrence Ross added 26 for Orlando, which has lost two in a row after starting the season 4-0.
Orlando was just eight of 28 ground shots in the fourth, missing all 10 of his three-point attempts.
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